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Your Suggestions For Socialisation: Places Etc.


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Im starting this thread hoping to get as many suggestions for socialisation as possible. That way those of us with pups have a great list to work with to ensure our dogs grow to be confident in all situations. If you have a great place to take your pup for socialisation, please post! Don't forget to include novel items too not just people, places and animals!

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Some things I do with my dogs and puppies:

* Schools at bell time. Sit outside the gate and let the kids pat the puppy. Doubles as a good way to teach children how to approach dogs.

* I always try and find fireworks. I've even taken a litter of puppies to fireworks at six weeks of age (in a crate in the back of a car). For my last litter our suburb was considerate enough to have them just a few streets away when they were seven weeks old. :)

* A speedway or dirt bike competition. Very loud, smelly and dirty.

* Horses or stables if you know someone who owns one. Get the dog used to being around horses. Ditto for cats, chickens, cows, and other birds.

* Markets with lots of people milling around and the dog has to calmly walk through the crowd at heel and not pull on the lead.

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Holding an 8 week old puppy outside the entrance of a supermarket, especially just after school is out works a dream. There is not really a need to pup the pup down if you are worried about vaccinations. When I did this with my pups I had a towel where the pup sat just in case. The pup gets to meet people of all ages and experience with pups, people with glasses etc etc. If you have a short car ride to the supermarket that is good too. Just make sure first the pup is not worried about the trolleys and traffic before going straight to the entrance.

Skysong Tozzerz, funny you mentioned the fireworks. When my 1st litter was 6 weeks they got fireworks for 2 nights in a row, not by my choice but because they were close. I was so worried about them before hand but in hindsight it was probably a good thing. I made sure I took them indoors before they started the first night because I thought they would be worried, put them in the puppy pen with a huge marrow bone. They did not even seem to notice the noise, I let them out the 2nd night LOL.

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Thanks for posting guys! In another thread some suggestions were a footy and tennis game and a visit to bunnings! I played a sound effects cd for my little guy from the day he was born, slowly increasing the volume. Places he has been include the airport, train station (and on the train) and bus depot, a building site, swimming at the physio, the beach, the gym, the police and fire stations,supermarket, wreckers yard, my work (truck factory), my other work (office). He goes to puppy school 3-4 times a week (i teach there) and is exposed to hundreds of things as we focus on socialisation (not just ppl and dogs). He has seen kids on bikes, go-karts, scooters and skateboards. People of all ages and dressed in costumes, masks and big hats etc. I take him out onto a main road often to get used to traffic. Has seen all manner of kids toys, gone over agility equipment and different surfaces (bean bag, bubble wrap, checkerplate) etc. I make sure he is handled all over by different people and we do mock vet stuff like muzzling, bandaging, being carried on a strecher, checks etc. One of our training centres is near a hospital so he has even seen a helicopter land and take off!

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The vet (that's the big one. You're dog has to love the vet)

Do a star jump infront of your dog (my dog got freaked when I did that)

Umbrellas

livestock

big hats, coats

people with beards, sunglasses

people of all races

bald people

wheelie bins

musical instruments

aeroplanes

wheelchairs

cats

rabbits, birds and other small animals

trains

fuzzy dogs, bull-breeds and dogs of all shapes and sizes

rain

storms

radio

vacuum cleaner

hair dryer

gunshots

((I can put more if you want them)

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That's great, thanks. The more the better! It helps to have a list to ensure you don't leave anything out. I like your way of writing things too, much easier to read than mine :laugh:

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I'll just list all the things my dog is scarred of (he's a rescue and wasn't socialised early)

water

bathing

rinsing with hose

lawn mower

loud noises

There's more, but I can't think of them right now.

Oh, and there's this thing they tried in America called the 'super puppy program' and it made the military dogs more tolerant, easy to socialise and more trainable.

It would be good for all you breeders to try ^.^

Start whent he pup is a few days old, hold it, supporting it's whole body.

Then, tip it upside down gently for a few seconds.

Next, handle it's paws, look at it's teeth, touch it's tail.

After that, put the pup on a damp towel for a moment, then return it to it's mother.

repeat daily.

apparently it was very successful :laugh:

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The important thing about socialisation, is that these experiences must be enjoyable for the puppy. Otherwise they will have the opposite effect to what is intended.

Gradually build up to louder noises instead of exposing them to loud noises straight away. Have a supply of tasty treats so that the dog associates things with a reward. Make sure that your puppy does not get overtired and is allowed to sleep undisturbed.

Other experiences for your dog could include -

Water features and fountains

Ceiling fans

Glass sliding doors

The beach

Boats

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Good thinkin 99, and thanks for specifying to make the experiences enjoyable, sometimes I forget the obvious is not so obvious for everyone (no offence intended of course) :laugh:

If I listed all the things my dog is scared of it would take forever, he was a rescue to and IMO, going on his behaviour, received very little socialisation during the critical period (up to 16 weeks).

He is particularly afraid of things that spin in a circle, like the ceiling fan.

Also the sound of gas escaping when you open a carbonated drink.

Flags.

Balls and frisbees.

I followed the super puppy suggestions with my pup when he was very young. Also put him on diferent surfaces at diferent temperatures and used things like flashing lights. Because my little guy was a single litter pup I used to pinch and scruff him all over to make up for being chewed on by his littermates.

Bath at an early age is good.

Think about what you want your dog for. Had a guy come to me because his dog wouldn't go in the water. He got the dog to go camping and boating with him but never thought to take him in the water when he was young.

Tents.

Flashlights.

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I get jealouse of people with really well socialised dogs. My brother got a labrador puppy to be an assistance dog for his room mate and that pup is really well socialised. Not afraid of anything, doesn't jump up, only barks when someone is at the door, not to hyper. She's a bit destructive and can play a bit rough with his other dog, but Sara is a really great dog. She doesn't even know that many commands.

My dog knows heaps of commands, but isn't well socialised. I'd rather a well socialised dog than a well trained one anyday, but heck, I still love George with all me heart! :laugh::laugh:

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Thanks for posting guys! In another thread some suggestions were a footy and tennis game and a visit to bunnings! I played a sound effects cd for my little guy from the day he was born, slowly increasing the volume. Places he has been include the airport, train station (and on the train) and bus depot, a building site, swimming at the physio, the beach, the gym, the police and fire stations,supermarket, wreckers yard, my work (truck factory), my other work (office). He goes to puppy school 3-4 times a week (i teach there) and is exposed to hundreds of things as we focus on socialisation (not just ppl and dogs). He has seen kids on bikes, go-karts, scooters and skateboards. People of all ages and dressed in costumes, masks and big hats etc. I take him out onto a main road often to get used to traffic. Has seen all manner of kids toys, gone over agility equipment and different surfaces (bean bag, bubble wrap, checkerplate) etc. I make sure he is handled all over by different people and we do mock vet stuff like muzzling, bandaging, being carried on a strecher, checks etc. One of our training centres is near a hospital so he has even seen a helicopter land and take off!

Sorry Haven - Bunnings at Auburn - busted me for taking Wilbur in when he was 8weeks. He was in my arms asleep - they told me to leave - so i went and bought the dog door at the local Hardware where they loved him.

Bunnings to Hardware is like the Starbucks to the Cafe Industry

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:protest: What party poopers!

I took my pup to a big nursery that does deliveries of mulch, soil etc. It was great because it was outside and they didn't mind him being there and had all manner of things , big piles of stones/soil, earthmoving machienary, power tools etc.

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  • 4 months later...

awsome thread thanks guys for all the tips and thanks haven for puting me on to it ur a gem i am going to the market on friday with toby it will be a big day for him but he will love the cuddles and attention... :thumbsup:

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From 7 weeks my puppy was socialised/habituated to

People of all shapes and sizes

Supermarket (I tried to hide her under my jumper but got sprung and sent out :confused: )

Kids

Schools

Alpacas

Chickens (she still likes to spend time in the chook house with them)

Sheep

Horses

tractors

whipper snippers

rideon lawn mowers

bob cats

cars

trucks

motorbikes

chainsaws

lots of others I cant think of at the moment - the only place she hasn't been to is the beach, maybe this summer :thumbsup:

Oh, and trash & treasure markets too

Edited by Pippi
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Little aths starters pirtols peple cheering fast movement things been throw you can start on the outskirts and the girls love to play with puppis the boys pat but try not to look interested lol

fotty games srens yelling not always cheering balls fast movement

My fav is coffee shop trianing we have to places near us with outdoor seating and big undercover area just perfect for a bit of training plus people coming and going into the shoppig center or gym we get kids elderly people running bicycles and shopping trolleys

we have a semi rural area nearby lots of gotsa sheep horse that are happy to come to the fence for a pat

riding on the train tothe beach and back

sitting up at thepark kids playing running bbqs coking lots of people want to say hello

te bus stop cars going past people talking want to say hi

we have a rehab centre nearby you get lots of people in wheelchairs walking frams those ride on things mostly elderly most love to stop for a chat

umm thast all off the top of my head

we also do the unmbrellas and stuff like thati have a huge list of things and boxes to tick when we have seen them we dont get to do everything but we tryreally hard to do as many as possible i guess thats half the reason my dogs are so easy to get ficussed we put in a lot of hard yards on the environment front

I alsi take my dogs to allthose places and train there starting with simple stuff then building till we can get full trial work in everything from very high distractio to very quiet paces with just the odd thing going on. I have only one rule i dont ask for anything the dog is doing at three leveles higher at home when we go to a new place i set teh pupy up to succeed win win that way

im very lucky to live in an area with all this at my figertips in walking distance

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